Penny told the BBCs Victoria Derbyshire programme that her son developed psychosis after using skunk

Appearing on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme, Penny, who did not want her full name disclosed, said the move would not eradicate drug dealers from our streets or encourage addicts to use “weaker” substances.

Penny said her son, who is not named, became psychotic and, at times, suicidal because of his cannabis addiction that began when he was a young teenager.

She said: “Our son started using, and I’m going to be very specific here, skunk at 14, one of the dangers in this debate is no one is delineating the difference between cannabis and skunk.”

Skunk is one of 100 or so varieties of the cannabis plant, which contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the plant’s main, mind-altering ingredient.

Former health minister Norman Lamb believes the current drug laws need to be changed

He said: “The current law doesn’t protect our children and what’s happened to Penny’s son, tragically, has happened under the current arrangements where we allow criminals to prey on young people - they have no idea what they’re buying, they’re buying this super strength skunk very easily.

“The whole approach the government is taking has had no impact on reducing supply, it’s available in every town, village and city across our country.

"Surely a better approach is to regulate what people can actually sell, control the potency, we know that if you control the potency you can remove most of the risk.”

Penny said her son has spent the last five years in a psychiatric unit because of his substance use

She commented: “I’m not sure how much you know about addiction or how buying and selling works.

“People who become addicted need larger and larger amounts or greater strengths of a drug to get the same affect.

“We’ve now had this stronger strain of skunk on our streets for 15 years or more.

"There are a lot of people out there who are addicted to a very high potency drug and you are living in a very unreal world if you think for one moment that legalising it and having it in cafes or cannabis social clubs will magically make the illegal drug sellers disappear off the streets or persuade the people who want the strong version of the drug to settle for a weaker version. It’s just not going to happen.”

Penny was joined in the debate by Norman Lamb and Dina Browner, who supplies cannabis to Snoop Dogg

Norman said they have legalised cannabis in certain American states which has taken “criminals out of the market”.

He compared it to the prohibition of alcohol which had “horrendous consequences for many people”.

“I want to end the risk that your son faced, I want to get that high strength substance off our streets,” he said.

“We know that if we pitch the tax level right we can take criminals out of the market, protect young people and end the criminalisation of so many people in our country which then blights their careers.

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